


In for a penny, in for a pound.

by alan713ch



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU no werewolves, Au no hale fire, Other, Team Lionheart, derek is same age as scott and stiles, talia hale is a prominent member of beacon hills society
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-28
Updated: 2014-05-28
Packaged: 2018-01-26 22:25:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1704767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alan713ch/pseuds/alan713ch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was another old person immune to McCall and her adorableness: Grandma Thea Hale. The former matriarch of his family - oh, Derek was well aware of who carried the power in his family - had had to deal with a lot of pups (that’s what she called all the young ones, including him) in her youth, and her no nonsense attitude was a thing of legends. </p>
<p>It also meant that Derek was stuck with the two of them because they had gone around in the preserve his family owned and she had caught them in the act. </p>
<p>Again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In for a penny, in for a pound.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [daunt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daunt/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Daunt's submission to Team LionHeart](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/52289) by daunt. 



> Based on daunt's submission for the team-lionheart tumblr. 
> 
> I just had to write it down. Sorry. 
> 
> Unbeta'ed.

You see, nobody in Beacon Hills likes the Hales on principle. Not because they were bad people, or because they did wrong stuff or anything. They are actually not bad, and would always volunteer on Sundays at the local shelter.

No, nobody likes the Hales on principle because they are rich as fuck, and that makes them entitled little bastards that show up to all the fancy events where Stiles’ dad has to appear and therefore Stiles has to appear and just to not be bored he always drags Scott with him and they always try not to do much ruckus but then again, ruckus is part of Stiles as much as good-heart is part of Scott. So even though The Sheriff and his family (Stiles) have to put a good face and smile pretty because the Sheriff position is an elected one, Stiles is perfectly aware that his dad keeps looking at him with a pained expression, particularly since he and Scott were raiding the canapes. 

Oh, and Derek Hale was watching them. 

Stiles and Scott knew of Derek Hale. Lacrosse player extraordinaire. Finstock’s golden boy. Target of Jackson’s envy. Probable object of Danny’s fantasies. Definitely part of most of the girls’ fantasies. 

Also, one of the most stuck up persons they had ever met. He never talked to anyone, his vocabulary (when directed at other people his age) seemed to consist mostly of grunts, and of course he was wearing a Hugo Boss suit that fit him like a glove. And he was looking at them, appalled at the fact that they were raiding the canapes (and Stiles had, as usual, overstuffed his mouth). 

"Stiles! Try and swallow, please! Derek Hale is looking like he wants to murder you."

Stiles just glared at Scott, and tried to keep chewing. 

"Seriously, man, you look like a chipmunk when you do that."

Stiles didn’t know he could position his eyebrows that high, but he could feel them halfway up through his skull cap. 

"Stiles!"

After a bob of his Adam’s apple, Stiles was capable of answering back.

"What do we care if Derek Hale is looking at us?"

"I don’t know, I feel like he’s judging me or something."

"Scott, he’s a Hale. They are always judging us. Dad has to deal with his mom twice a week with her being the Iron Lawyer."

"We like Mrs. Hale, remember? She always gives us cookies on Halloween!"

"Not the point Scottie!"

"Will you two stop it! Those are supposed to be for the guests, not for a pair of bumbling fools."

Derek Hale had reached them and was looking at them with murder in his eyes. Stiles backed down - flailing, as usual, managing to knock down the chocolate fondue fountain (“Stiles! You were supposed to stay on your seat this time!” could be heard from the main podium, where Sheriff Stilinski had been getting ready to give his speech) and Scott just offered Derek some stuffed vol-au-vents in an attempt to calm him. 

* * *

You see, everybody tolerated Stiles Stilinski because of two reasons mostly: the fact that his dad was the Sheriff, and the fact that Scott McCall was his friend. Everybody knew that Stiles would always get the pair into trouble but if anyone could negotiate getting them out of it was McCall and his adorable puppy eyes. 

They were not omnipotent, though, and sometimes they would be relegated to some form of community service, usually in the form of helping the old ladies that were weak to those big brown eyes, since they didn’t have any effect on Melissa McCall or Sheriff Stilinski, who would drag the two of them by their ears and make them apologize - and help back.

After all, everybody remembered the Cookie Incident of 2001. 

There was another old person immune to McCall and her adorableness: Grandma Thea Hale. The former matriarch of his family - oh, Derek was well aware of who carried the power in his family - had had to deal with a lot of pups (that’s what she called all the young ones, including him) in her youth, and her no nonsense attitude was a thing of legends. 

It also meant that Derek was stuck with the two of them because they had gone around in the preserve his family owned and she had caught them in the act. 

Again.

For a little old lady that needed a cane to walk she was pretty good at catching asthmatic teenagers. 

"The whole forest is your backyard, and you still have to mow the lawn?"

Propriety was not part of the Stilinski collection of molecules, evidently. 

"We have a glass house, and we are helping my grandma with her flowers. Now put on these gloves and follow me."

After three broken pots and twenty minutes of yelling, Derek forced Stiles into watering duties. McCall, on the other hand, was delicate enough with the flowers, and seemed to get the hang of them very quickly.

"I work at the Vet Clinic in the outskirts of town. You know, Doc Deaton’s?" McCall started when he caught him looking. "It’s like dealing with frightened puppies - you do it slowly, carefully, but tenderly. You need to show the flowers you are their friend." McCall’s smile made the little crookedness of his jaw a bit more evident, but it shone a little like sunshine, and Derek wondered why these kids didn’t have many more friends, since at least everybody seemed to like Scott. 

A crash in the background reminded him of the Stilinski portion of the equation.

* * *

Scott actually didn’t dislike the Hales. He was just scared to the bone of them.

After all, Talia Hale was the most ruthless lawyer the town had ever seen (according to Stiles’ dad) and Thea Hale was always very strict when she caught them in the preserve (twice in the past year, and Stiles wanted to give it another go before Christmas break) and his mom always talked about how amazing was Anastasia Hale, MD, with the children she had to take care of at the hospital. 

So he would not deny that he was trembling a little bit and holding Stiles by the shirt when they were ringing the doorbell of the Hale Manor. 

"Dude, he’s gonna say no. I don’t even know why you are trying this."

"I already told you, Stiles, I am not going to be a bench warmer anymore. I am going to make first line."

"But we like being bench warmers! We can make fun out of Jackson and Derek!"

"Do you want Lydia to notice you?"

"Duh."

"Then you need to make first line!"

At that exact moment the door opened to reveal Talia Hale.

In an apron. With a bloody knife.

Scott would deny later that he may have jumped a little bit at the sight.

"How may I help you?"

"We… we were looking for Derek?" Scott’s voice was higher than usual.

"Derek? He’s never had friends over before."

"That’s because we are not - argh!" Scott knew he may have elbowed Stiles a little bit too strongly.

Eh, Stiles was usually worse.

"Stiles, shut up. We wanted to ask him a favor."

"Well, come on in, then. You are John’s son, aren’t you?"

"Yes, ma’am. Stiles Stilinski." Stiles was rubbing his side. "And this is Scott McCall."

"Nice to meet you, ma’am."

"Please, sit. Derek! There’s someone here for you! Would you like some cookies?"

"That would be lovely, ma’am."

It was not their first time inside the Hale Manor, but it was the first time when they were not being told off, waiting for the Sheriff or his mom to pick them up. Of course Stiles started poking around the fire place.

"Stilinski, break one thing in my house and I’ll make sure you don’t go to class with all your teeth. What are you two doing here?"

"I…" Scott stopped, and took a breath in. He may be scared of the Hales - and super scared of Derek! But he was not a puppy who’d run and hide under the sofa. 

Stiles, on the other hand, had panicked and was trying to hide himself behind Scott. So much for the moral support.

"I wanted to ask you a favor." Derek’s only response was to raise his left eyebrow, and cock his head a little bit. "See, you are the best player in the team, and you are probably gonna be captain unless Jackson does some weird shit when we go back to school in January. I wanted to know if I - if  _we_  could train with you.”

"Why?"

"Because we don’t want to be bench warmers. Because we want to get better. And besides, we know Jackson’s been training all semester with Danny and Greenberg, so he will definitely try to take the captaincy from you."

"What do I get?"

"What do you get? Besides our lovely company?" Stiles’ head had climbed over Scott’s shoulder, and his arms started to move like windmills again.

"Yes, besides your company, Stiles."

"What do you want?" Scott asked.

For a moment, he thought Derek was going to yell at him. It turned out, he was just mulling his answer.

"Math," he sighed, like he was embarrassed of it, "I need help with math. I know you two are better than me at it. I help you with lacrosse, you’ll help me with math. Deal?"

"Deal!" Scott answered before Stiles could say anything.

"Also, you will have to deal with my Uncle Peter. He helps me train."

"Sure, whatever." Stiles answered for the two of them. How hard could it be to deal with someone’s uncle? Unless he was a creeper or something.

"And more importantly, just because we are mutually helping each other it does not mean we are friends. Understood?"

"Perfectly." Stiles sarcasm was dripping through his teeth. Scott nodded, though he did hunch his shoulders a little bit. He didn’t understand why Derek was so adamant to make friends, always reading a book by his own at lunch time. 

At that moment, Mrs. Hale came back into the living room with a platter full of different kinds of cookies and scones, and a tea tray.

"So, Derek, are your friends going to stay for dinner?"

* * *

Finstock was very happy with his team this year. Somehow Hale, McCall and Bilinski seemed to be tuned with each other, and they were giving Jackson and Danny a run for their money - he ended up giving the captaincy to both Derek and Jackson, and moved Danny from goalie to defense, since McCall had gotten so good at it. 

It turns out McCall was great when playing for short periods of time, preventing his asthma from flaring up. He also had great hand-eye coordination, and thanks to those two things he was an excellent goalie. Also having him near Bilinski allowed him to shout at him and bring him back into the game, and when that kid was in the game he was not as bad as he had seemed. 

With those three there, Jackson and Derek were free to hunt the ball and attack the other team without any worries, except for Jackson’s need to be the best that sometimes drove him to steal the ball from Derek himself. 

Finstock wondered what had triggered the change in those kids. He knew he was not a competent teacher, and he was always too focused on the destination to pay attention to the road towards it, but it was evident that Hale, McCall and Bilinski were close now, unlike the previous year - or last semester, when Hale had been outrunning everybody while Bilinski and McCall could barely keep up. Now he saw them get together to the locker room and wait for each other after they were done, either sharing Bilinski’s jeep or Hale’s Toyota. 

McCall had gone and gotten himself a dirt bike. He had given him a lecture on the risks of having one of those - after all, he didn’t want to lose who was becoming one of his bests goalies ever. 

Whatever had happened, Finstock was glad. All the teachers had talked about Hale’s reclusiveness, always wandering the hallways with a paperback on his hand and only talking to the Martin girl when they were debating. Now he smiled (when he usually didn’t) and he talked (when he usually grunted). 

He shouldn’t have been so surprised. If there was a force that could penetrate a wall of ice as thick as what Hale seemed to have, of course it was gonna be the combination of McCall’s earnestness and Bilinski’s recklessness.

After all, somehow they managed to stay out of trouble, even if everybody knew they were the ones to cause it. 

And now Derek Hale was with them.


End file.
